University data allows members of the public to search for land use in their area of the UK based on postcode

For the first time, members of the public can now search for how the land is used in their local area of the United Kingdom based on their postcode, thanks to research conducted by our Centre for Landscape and Climate Research (CLCR).

The interpretation of satellite images took two years and was carried out with funding by the European Union, supported by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The project, which was led by Professor Heiko Balzter and Dr Beth Cole from our School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, revealed large-scale changes to the environment of the UK, including an apparent loss of habitats and agricultural land.

The 2006-2012 land cover map revealed that an area of 225,200 hectares (over 2,250 km2) or 1% of the total area of the UK showed a change in land cover / use from 2006 to 2012. Altogether, 167 different types of change were seen from the satellite images.